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7am Saturday

December 14, 2019

Good morning! It’s Heisman Saturday! For those of you who aren’t into college football, three…er…I mean two…Buckeyes and a Sooner are up for the trophy given to the best player in college football. See it on ESPN tonight at 8pm ET.

Market, Economy & Business Update

➡️ Fed Update – The Fed kept rates steady on Wednesday. As long as inflation remains low, don’t expect the Fed to increase rates in 2020 either.

🤩 Stocks hit new highs – News that Trump agreed to approve a “phase one” trade deal with China sent US stocks to fresh highs again this week. The deal will avert the tariffs that were planned to kick in this Sunday on $160 billion of consumer goods from China. China has also promissed to buy more US agricultural goods.

YTD Returns for US Stocks

⏰ Time Businessperson of the Year – Disney CEO Bog Iger. Not surprising and well deserved in my opinion.

Financial Planning Tip

❇️ 4 Reasons to Consider Consolidating Investment Accounts (The Everyday Advisor) – Do you know the #1 request I get from clients who come to us after years of managing their own finances or working with multiple advisors? They want me to help them simplify things. They ultimately realize that having multiple accounts at several institutions is working against their goals. They know that it’s to their benefit to have an advisor coordinating all of their investments and looking holistically at their financial plan. Further, they realize that by consolidating accounts and simplifying their investments it will be much easier on their heirs. In some cases there is one spouse who is very active with the finances and the other isn’t. The one who is active desires to make things as easy as possible for his/her survivor. I love it when I see clients get excited because we have made their life easier.

Best Finds of the Week

📚 5 Books To Enjoy This Winter (by Bill Gates) – There’s no way I will get through 5 books over the holidays, but there are two that I will add to my reading list:

  • Prepared by Diane Tavenner – “As any parent knows, preparing your kids for life after high school is a long and sometimes difficult journey. Tavenner—who created a network of some of the best performing schools in the nation—has put together a helpful guidebook about how to make that process as smooth and fruitful as possible. Along the way, she shares what she’s learned about teaching kids not just what they need to get into college, but how to live a good life.” Read Bill’s full review here.
  • Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker – “I read a couple of great books this year about human behavior, and this was one of the most interesting and profound. Both Jenn and John Doerr urged me to read it, and I’m glad I did. Everyone knows that a good night’s sleep is important—but what exactly counts as a good night’s sleep? And how do you make one happen? Walker has persuaded me to change my bedtime habits to up my chances. If your New Year’s resolution is to be healthier in 2020, his advice is a good place to start.” Read Bill’s full review here.

📺 Video: Why You Should Be Optimistic About the Future – Kevin Kelly and Marc Andreessen discuss the evolution of technology and why they share an optmistic view of the future. I’m a big fan of technology, and I believe that tech will continue to present some fabulous investment opportunities for those who stay curious and attempt to keep up with the exponential changes we will see in our lifetime. (Did you notice the NASDAQ’s 30%+ return this year in the chart above?)

🐦 Tweet of the Week – via @hunterwalk:

Have a great weekend,

Adam

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